There’s nothing worse than seeing someone who’s worked really hard to get into great shape, only to pass them in the street a year later to find that they have put the weight back on, and more!

Long term success should always be the goal.

Here are the top reasons I feel we fail at long term fat loss and body goal success:Changing & forming habits. Motivation is great, but it will only get us so far. Habits are what will keep us going on the days we are feeling unmotivated. Solution. Do the healthy behaviour or routine until it becomes habitual. Stick with it, it will take some time, but then it will become natural.

Muscle Loss. When we go on an extremely low calorie diet we inevitably lose muscle. We need muscle; it’s a calorie rich tissue which means our body burns more energy to maintain this muscle tissue than it does fat tissue. Muscle helps us move and perform daily activities which in turn burns more energy and gives our body good posture and shape.Solution. So if we want long term success we need to preserve our muscle through resistance training, adequate protein intake and periodising blocks of moderate calorie deficits.

Extreme Programmes. Extreme diets & training programmes are great for short term results but are hard to maintain for long term success.Solution. Find a programme that’s fits with our busy lifestyle and that we can see ourselves doing in a years time. The best programme is the one we can stick to.

Enjoyment. Let’s be honest, if we don’t like something it’s not going to be very long until we pack it in.Solution. Find which training programmes we enjoy most and a balanced diet that allows us to get results, without completely cutting out the foods we love.

Social Circle. It’s incredibly hard to eat well, find time to exercise and stay motivated when our friends are constantly tempting us with nights out, takeaways or we are butting heads with our partner because they don’t want to cook a healthy meal or take the kids while we pop to the gym.Solution. Tell friends and family what we are doing and get them on board. Having their support is one of the most important things we can do to create a positive environment for long term success.

Follow this blog as it unfolds. Comment if you have feedback, questions or suggestions.